The latest news stories and stories of interest in Eugene-Springfield area and around the state of Oregon from the online digital home of the valley, WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Willamette Valley Weather
This Afternoon Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 52. South southwest wind 11 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Overnight, showers. Snow level 3200 feet. Low around 42.
Thursday A 40 percent chance of showers. Snow level 3100 feet. Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. South southwest wind around 8 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Light and variable wind.
Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.
Sunday A chance of rain, mainly after 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 48.
Today’s Headlines
COVID-19 has claimed 13 more lives in the state of Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 778, the Oregon Health Authority reported on Tuesday, Nov. 17th. Oregon Health Authority reported 935 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of this morning, bringing the state total to 58,570.
The new cases are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (15), Clackamas (85), Clatsop (5), Columbia (7), Coos (5), Curry (4), Deschutes (30), Douglas (37), Harney (5), Hood River (4), Jackson (60), Jefferson (28), Josephine (17), Klamath (25), Lake (4), Lane (45), Lincoln (2), Linn (16), Malheur (7), Marion (151), Morrow (1), Multnomah (208), Polk (21), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (41), Union (6), Wallowa (1), Wasco (5), Washington (88) and Yamhill (20).
As coronavirus infections soar across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown has indicated that she intends to take a much harder line to enforce her new “freeze” order that limits the size of social gatherings to no more than six people.
The governor warned that violations are misdemeanors punishable by citation or arrest, and Brown said she would work with state police and local law enforcement to encourage Oregonians to comply with her directive. However, on the local level, both the county sheriff and city police chief say they will not actively pursue those that break the directive.
The National Weather Service says a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY will be IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM WEDNESDAY TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET…
Snow is expected above 5000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 15 inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph in exposed areas. The areas affected are the South Central Oregon Cascades to include Highways 138 and 230 near Diamond Lake and Highway 62 near Crater Lake. Snow will impact areas below 5000 feet but amounts won`t be as significant.
Travel could be very difficult with low visibility and slippery roads. The heaviest snow is expected Wednesday morning and late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
UO expanding COVID-19 testing to Lane County community
The University of Oregon COVID-19 Monitoring and Assessment Program is expanding its asymptomatic COVID-19 testing capacity to include UO community members and Lane County residents, with a series of upcoming testing events open to adult residents who are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
“Many people infected with COVID-19 have no symptoms or have very mild symptoms. One strategy to identify such persons is surveillance testing via asymptomatic testing events,” said Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County’s senior public health officer. “Our county is quite fortunate that the University of Oregon has leveraged its talent and resources to create a sophisticated, high-volume, federally certified COVID laboratory and has opted to use it for COVID surveillance. Participating in an asymptomatic testing event will help keep individuals, families and our broader community safe.”
The tests use a self-collected, shallow nasal swab, not the more invasive deep nasal swab used in health care settings. The free testing is offered through the UO’s Monitoring and Assessment Program, a public health program with the goal of expanding local testing capacity and informing public agency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The procedures the program is using have been authorized for use by the FDA and are among the gold standards in the field for testing and detecting the virus.
Participants must be 18 years of age or older, wear a mask and present some form of identification. All participants must preregister through the testing program registration portal.
A limited number of dedicated testing appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the following dates:
- Monday, Nov. 23, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Sign-up closes at 5 p.m. the day before each session or when all testing slots are full, whichever comes first. Additional testing opportunities will be made available in December.
Minimal time is needed for the testing process itself. While there may be some wait time, lines are expected to move quickly and participants should only need 15-30 minutes to complete the process from arrival to departure. More information about sample collection and the testing process is available on the UO coronavirus website.
It’s important to note that people who belive they have been exposed to or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact their medical provider for more immediate diagnostic testing and treatment. Symptomatic individuals should not go to a UO testing event.
Testing takes place at the UO campus at Matthew Knight Arena.
Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be notified of the results by a telephone call within four days after the test. Those who consent to receive a negative result via secure email will receive results within four business days. Those who elect to receive a negative result by U.S. Postal Service will get results postmarked within four business days, but the university cannot guarantee a timeline for delivery. People will have the opportunity to indicate which they prefer when they fill out the preregistration form.
More information about sample collection and the testing process is available on the UO coronavirus website. https://around.uoregon.edu/content/uo-expanding-covid-19-testing-lane-county-community.
Coos County’s COVID-19 case numbers are “obscene,” Coos Health & Wellness officials say.
If current rates continue, the county could see over 200 new cases of COVID-19 just this month — nearly double what the county saw in October, and the county’s highest month of cases since the pandemic began.
The county’s increase means that it’s critical for residents to follow precautions and restrictions, like wearing face masks and cancelling large holiday plans, in order to slow the spread of the virus which threatens to close schools and take up hospital capacity.
“I think that we don’t truly understand the severity of the situation,” said Eric Gleason, CHW’s assistant director. “It’s obscene, the numbers that we’ve had in the last few months, and it’s frustrating that something as simple as putting a mask on has become a divisive topic.”
The weekend was a busy one: Coos County saw 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday alone, the county’s highest daily case count since the pandemic began. Sunday saw five new cases, and Monday’s four cases brings the county’s total to 342 since beginning of the pandemic.
70 of those cases came in the past 14 days, a sign that those cases are still considered infectious and active. That’s the most active cases the county has reported.
Douglas County’s weekly data report shows the stark figures it is facing: The county had more cases last week alone (148) than it did in the first 152 days after its first reported case in March. It’s had 632 cases of the virus since the pandemic began, and 10 people in the county have died with the virus.
Curry County reported two new cases of the virus over the weekend, bringing its total to 83 since the pandemic began. Two people in the county have died with the virus.
On Friday, state officials announced new restrictions on dining, retail and other businesses that will take effect on Wednesday. Restaurants are limited to takeout-only operations, and indoor recreation facilities will close for two weeks under the new restrictions, though schools won’t be impacted.
The restrictions will last longer in more-densely populated counties, since they’re home to many of the state’s case, Governor Kate Brown said Friday. But they’re not only important for larger counties, CHW’s Gleason says — they’re critical for counties like Coos, too.
“It’s not a Multnomah problem that affects the rest of the state,” Gleason said. “Our numbers — and especially ours — are rising significantly. That doesn’t have anything to do with Multnomah. It has to do with the people that live in this community right now, doing the things that they need to do to prevent the spread of COVID, and we just haven’t been able to get over that hump yet.”
The surge in cases and restrictions that follow have come at a difficult time, just a week before Thanksgiving. Gleason says that families need to make difficult decisions to reduce the size of their gatherings, and cancel plans to travel.
He’s had to tell a family member not to come visit from Portland, saying its too dangerous for them to travel outside of the area.
“I absolutely understand the heartbreak of the answer being ‘I can’t see you’ on such a family-centered holiday,” Gleason said. “But as adults, as parents, we are supposed to be making the hard choices.”
Around the state of Oregon
MISSING CHILD ALERT — MISSING FOSTER CHILD LYDIA JAZMIN IS BELIEVED TO BE IN DANGER
Lydia Jazmin, age 16, is a foster child who went missing from Medford, Ore. on Nov. 11, 2020. She is believed to be in danger.
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, asks the public to help in the effort to find them and to contact 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they see them. It is believed they may be travelling to Albany, Ore.
Name: Lydia Jazmin
Pronouns: They/Them
Date of birth: July 16, 2004
Height: 4’ 10”
Weight: 200 pounds
Eye color: Brown
Hair: Dark brown
Medford Police Department Case #18910
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children #14064220
Anyone who suspects they have information about Lydia Jazmin’s location should call 911 or local law enforcement.
A small number of children in foster care may be in significant danger when they run away or have gone missing. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and ensure their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.
Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association, the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and the Oregon State Police encourage all Oregonians to comply with the Governor’s Executive Order during the two-week Coronavirus freeze
Oregonians have a strong tradition of unifying to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. As your fellow community members, please join us in adhering to the Governor’s Executive Order during the two-week Coronavirus freeze. As your Oregon Law Enforcement professionals, our primary objective throughout the Coronavirus pandemic has been to take an education first approach and to seek voluntary compliance with each Executive Order. We recognize the inconvenience the pandemic and subsequent restrictions have caused all of us. We also know that the risk to our most vulnerable populations is extremely high at this time and we urge everyone to follow these restrictions in order to protect them. After all, we are all in this together.
With the issuance of the latest Executive Order, Oregon Law enforcement will continue to follow an education first approach. Oregon Law Enforcement will only take enforcement action (criminal citations) as a last resort. As with most enforcement decision making, discretion will be used if/when any Executive Order enforcement action is taken. Oregon Law Enforcement recognizes that we cannot arrest or enforce our way out of the pandemic. We can however work together in following these restrictions to make our communities a safer and healthy place.
We include the following recommendations when it comes to reporting Executive Order violations.
- Business/workplace violations-Please report these to Oregon OSHA.
- Restaurant/Bars-Please report these violations to OSHA or OLCC.
Oregon Law Enforcement is faced with many challenges one of which is typically receiving more police calls for service than available resources to respond. Because of this, we ask the public to follow the above-mentioned recommendations for reporting alleged violations of the Executive Order.
The Independent Restaurant Alliance of Oregon is asking the state for help before the “freeze” adds restrictions that impact their business.
In an open letter yesterday, the group, which makes up over 300 restaurants and bars, asked Governor Kate Brown for a number of things including financial assistance. The letter says shutting down costs each location about 40-thousand-dollars.
The group wants a plan that “simultaneously supports the health” of their guests, employees, and “the livelihoods of the people and businesses.”
The State of Oregon is facing a lawsuit over the Oregon Cares Fund. The fund was established by the Legislature using money from the CARES Act to help Black owned businesses, nonprofits and Black families struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit was filed by Great Northern Resources and alleges the fund is unconstitutional. Governor Kate Brown issued a statement saying Black Oregonians are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and this fund is intended to help provide more support.
Oregon’s two largest universities are offering free coronavirus testing to their entire student population ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Oregon State University and the University of Oregon together serve more than 50,000 students, with many in Corvallis and Eugene expected to head home next week. It’s not immediately clear how many students are expected to seek the free testing or whether each university has the capacity to test a high volume of the student body, should tens of thousands of students seek tests.
FATAL CRASH ON HWY 126E – LANE COUNTY
On Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at approximately 9:00 A.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Hwy 126E near milepost 14.
Preliminary investigation revealed a Jaguar sedan, operated by Albert Lundberg (78) of Springfield, was westbound when it left the roadway and crashed.
Lundberg was transported to River Bend Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
A Lakeview man died Monday night in a rollover crash on Highway 395 about 70 miles north of Lakeview. Jerry Henderson, 78, was headed southbound around 7:50 p.m. when his pickup left the road and rolled near milepost 73 of Highway 395, according to Oregon State Police. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
New resources to help business taxpayers and tax professionals understand and comply with Oregon’s new Corporate Activity Tax (CAT) have been added to the Department of Revenue’s website.
In October, the CAT policy staff hosted a pair of live video conference training sessions. The PowerPoint presentation used in the training sessions is available on the CAT page of the agency’s website.
In addition, questions submitted via email by participants in the two training sessions and answers provided by the CAT policy staff have been posted under the CAT training materials header. Questions and answers are divided by topic to make it easier for taxpayers to find the information they need.
In the coming weeks, a series of short, subject-specific training videos will also be added to the website.
Other information on the CAT page of the Department of Revenue’s website includes:
• A list of frequently asked questions.
• High-level summaries of the rules and other topics to help with taxpayer compliance.
• A registration training PowerPoint presentation.
• A PowerPoint presentation to help with making payments.
• A link to the CAT administrative rules.
• A link to the statutes governing the CAT. .
The page also includes an opportunity to subscribe to email updates about the CAT.
Taxpayers with general questions about the CAT can email cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.
Paddock Butte Forest Restoration Project showcases Good Neighbor Authority, public-private collaboration
BLY, Ore. — On the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Oregon’s first Good Neighbor Authority timber sale and restoration operation is showing visible improvements to forest health.
Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) allows agreements between the state and the federal government to accomplish forest restoration work on U.S. Forest Service land using state personnel and resources. ODF’s Federal Forest Restoration (FFR) Program which works to increase the pace, scale, and quality of forest restoration work on federal land, coupled with U.S. Forest Service funding, have provided the resources to conduct work under GNA since 2016.
Through selective tree thinning harvests, the revenue from selling the timber can then be invested in more forest restoration work as well as covering ODF costs. To date across the state of Oregon, ODF has sold 18 GNA timber sales treating 6,700 acres and generating 41 million board feet.
“It helps the U.S. Forest Service get more restoration completed. GNA allows the state to generate program revenue through timber sales, which can then be used to get more restoration accomplished on Forest Service lands,” said Amy Markus, Cohesive Strategy Coordinator for the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
At Paddock Butte, in untreated areas you can see the tangled thickets of pine, juniper, and other plants all competing for limited light and water resources. When laying out these timber sales, foresters identify large, healthy and older trees to leave behind.
“In a healthy forest you want space between the trees,” said Justin Hallett, Federal Forest Restoration coordinator for the ODF Klamath-Lake District. “You want it to be a vigorous stand where trees are continuously growing. In an overstocked forest, there’s maybe 500 trees per acre, all small and competing for resources.”
The before and after pictures show the results: Big trees with space to grow, not competing with underbrush and less healthy trees that not only are competing for resources but can serve as fuel that makes fire more intense.
Fire is not necessarily the enemy, Markus said. Low-intensity, ground fires historically have helped maintain the forest, and one of the goals for the Paddock Butte sale is to set it up for successful prescribed burning.
The last century’s focus on fire suppression has contributed to overstocked forests that otherwise may, in a sense, self-regulate with low-intensity fires, said ODF Klamath-Lake State Forests Unit Forester John Pellissier.
“It’s kind of led to an accumulation of fuels and additional density and stocking on the forest, which leads to poor growth, poor health, insect infestations and even large fires,” Pellissier said.
Recognizing that fire doesn’t stop at property boundaries, where possible GNA sales are paired with other forest restoration projects on public and private lands alike.
Paddock Butte is an isolated patch of federal forestland surrounded by private ranches, who for years have been restoring their lands to improve forest health and fire resiliency. The scale of need of forest restoration is massive, so working in tandem with adjacent landowners can achieve larger results and pay better dividends in terms of reduced fire and disease.
As an example, the Paddock Butte timber sale is 637 acres, and will fund treatment of an additional 1,134 acres. Combined with nearby private ground treatments, nearly 3,300 acres will see improved forest health and less susceptibility to large fires.
“The wildfires we’re seeing now are big, high-severity, and grow very fast,” Markus said. “They do not stop at ownership boundaries. When you start talking forest health and really trying to reduce the risk of wildfire, it’s key you’re doing it across boundaries and at large scales. We’re really trying to work hard to do forest restoration across public and all private lands involved at a scale that’s meaningful.”
The benefits of the project go beyond immediate forest health improvements. The sold timber employs crews and helps support local mills, and a more fire-resilient landscape should reduce the financial and social toll of large fires on the treated landscape. It allows ODF to keep some seasonal employees on board outside of fire season, keeping experienced workers busy on forest health projects like Paddock Butte. Program revenue stays with ODF to achieve more forest restoration work on federal lands.
“It’s a great program that supplies a lot of benefits,” Pellissier said.